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COPD and Other Stuff This is a patient-to-patient blog to exchange information and resources…from COPD to Arthritis to Cellulites to Sarcoidosis to Sleep Apnea to RLS to Psoriasis to Support Groups to Caregivers and all points in between.

Tag Archives: physicians

I spoke too soon on my belief that the American Medical
Association would be interested in my comments about a
Medicare patient and a doctor in a small town in
Kentucky – but a “Kentucky Medical Complaint”
Google search brought up some answers.

Update in my friends Kentucky case – she, as of Saturday, 24
September 2011 had not heard from the doctor for test
results. She called the local hospital where the cardio tests
(2) were performed and told the results were in and she could pick
them up.

She called the doctor’s office yesterday and told the
PFTs were normal and the heart tests were normal
too. What justified the cardiac tests when the PFTs
were normal?

Why would the PFT procedure be so different in a small town in
Kentucky than in the rest of the nation? Is
the 29 days it took to wait for the doctor results due to a state
raising fast horses and s l o w doctors in general or specific to
one doctor in one small Kentucky town?

Having dependence on Medicare/Medicaid and
being old, poor and trusting should not be a factor in a doctor’s
way of making a living off the patients through unnecessary testing
and no follow up contact with the patient.

The plus side is that she now has the physical test results of
her lungs and heart but not a clue what they mean. When she
called the doctor’s office this time, she was told the results of
the PFT and cardiac tests were ‘normal’.

Why did the doctor order cardiac testing if the
Pulmonary Function Tests were normal?

I called the doctor’s office this morning, Monday, 9/26/11 and
asked several questions including why the doctor didn’t call the
patient in 29 days to give her the test results and was told that
it can take two or three weeks to get the results and another week
for the doctor to review the results. My friend the patient
was told two weeks. When I asked why the cardiac tests were
ordered when her PFT was ‘normal’ – BEFORE he spoke to the
patient – I was told to call back later to speak with the
office manager.

I was told if my Kentucky friend wanted to know the meaning of
the test results, she should call and make an appointment with the
doctor.

Fast horses and slow doctors in a small town in Kentucky
– doesn’t seem right to me.Are other
seniors on Medicare/Medicaid being ill treated by this
doctor?

Are most Kentucky doctors as seemingly indifferent to their
senior patients by failing to give test results in a timely manner
and ordering cardiac tests without apparent need – or just this one
based on my own PFT experience?

The flip side of the coin is the unfair treatment of the
medical profession by Medicare and Medicaid.

I wrote the following in answer to a Letter to the
Editor, Kitsap Sun:

“Well…health care costs...not one post has
mentioned WHY doctors don’t take Medicare or
Medicaid. The fact is physicians and the health
care industry is the only profession in this nation that PENALIZES
the doctor and health care businesses!

Any other business in the country can set their price and people
pay it or go elsewhere. Not so the physician. Medicare and
Medicaid pay only a fraction of the set price per service
of each doctor.

Why should doctors take patients that COST them money to see
them…they LOSE money.

If a plumbing business could take ten calls during the business
day – why would they take a call from someone that will not pay
their full price for the service?

Some doctors DO TAKE MEDICARE/MEDICAID patients and I for one –
am grateful mine do.

I will mention here that I saw a medical devise recently that
cost Medicaid/Medicare about nine thousand dollars per patient that
has one. For a patient to buy it outright it cost about twelve
thousand dollars.

If that isn’t outrageous enough for you – my opinion of the
value of the devise – it MIGHT be worth one thousand dollars
TOPS.

In my opinion, what seems to be happening in some cases is that
the health care folks have tacked outrageous prices on cheap junk
to make up for the low Medicare/Medicaid set prices.

I wrote the following about 2004 for the American Lung
Association and re-found it goggling for COPD. I’m posting it
here in hope you will see the value in early detection Spirometry
testing.

“Hungry for Air: Breathing Better Together

“Living with COPD/Emphysema and Sarcoidosis was a living death.
I existed. I struggled to breathe, when I moved I panted, gasped
for air like a fish out of water.

As I slowly showered and dressed, ready to go somewhere, I
couldn’t sit down to rest. I fell asleep.

I went from a physically active life landscaping, restoring a
wonderful property in Port Townsend to a blob who existed in front
of her computer.

I searched the world web to discover what COPD/Emphysema was –
what Sarcoidosis was, everything, anything I could find out about
my diseases and the medications I took.

I couldn’t sleep in a bed – I couldn’t breathe – I dozed sitting
in a chair.

By the time I arrived at the Pulmonary Department at the
University of Washington Medical Center, I believed my days were
numbered. Previously diagnosed with COPD/Emphysema, an open lung
biopsy showed the fibrosis and granulomas of Sarcoidosis evenly
throughout both lungs.

Without energy, I felt isolated, without a purpose, a shell, a
mockery of the person I used to be.

I regretted a 40-year smoking habit, but didn’t dwell on it. The
single most difficult thing I’ve ever done is stop smoking. I
craved cigarettes and for the first time understood a drug addict’s
‘craving’ for a drug. I craved a cigarette many times a day, then
almost daily for more than two years. Even today, occasionally the
urge to smoke a cigarette becomes almost overwhelming.

That is how I felt then. Today I’m energized with purpose.

I found a support group online – the non-profit EFFORTS, begun
by COPD’rs, run by COPD’rs and filled with folks like me working to
change the world’s awareness of COPD. I want other lung folks to
know they are not alone and how they can lead the best quality of
life possible.

I want to see Spirometry tests for patients. common place among
physicians – to catch COPD early – before it is too late. Other
than stop smoking, the single most important thing Lungers can do
for themselves is exercise.

And from the time I learned of the American Lung Association® of
Washington’s Big Ride Across America, it is my dream – my goal.” –
Sharon”

The First World Conference of COPD Patients held in Rome, June
2009 had more than 250 people from more than 40 countries in the
world. Gathered together, the First World COPD Patient Bill came
into being.

How does the health authority in our country, the United States
of America, stack up against other countries in the COPD fight for
patient rights?
How does our local authority stack up?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
COPD PATIENTS’ GLOBAL BILL OF RIGHTS
“COPD is a disease that working people acquire as a part of
their
life in society. Like arthritis where years of strain and
lifting
on the joints wears them down, COPD is caused by years of
breathing toxic materials, especially tobacco and biomass fuel
smoke, and other pollution that damages the lungs.
People with COPD worldwide have earned their right to
medical care by their lives of work. These rights include
all those listed below.”

The COPD Patients’ Global Bill of Rights was adopted
by the First World Conference of COPD Patients,
……
1. The right to receive early and accurate diagnosis

Early and accurate diagnosis is essential for COPD patients to
take
the necessary steps to improve their quality of life and lung
health.
Physicians and national health services have a responsibility
to provide this early and accurate diagnosis. National health
services should have reliable information about the number of
COPD patients in their country. Physicians should be willing
and
able to diagnose COPD.

2. The right for information and education about COPD

People in each country should know what COPD is, its risk
factors, especially smoking, and what symptoms it causes. COPD
patients should be taught what state-of-the-art care for COPD
involves.

3. The right for support and understanding

Friends, family, communities, health care providers, and
health
services need to provide support and understanding to COPD
patients for this difficult disease.

4. The right to receive care and treatment that will benefit
them

Proper care and treatment will benefit patients, improve
their
breathing and quality of life, and will help them contribute
more
to others. Effective medicines, smoking cessation counseling
and treatment, and good health care are essential to provide
this
right, as is long-term follow up.

COPD PATIENTS’
5. The right to their fair share of society’s involvement and
investment in their welfare and care

COPD patients have worked throughout their lives to earn
their
fair share of society’s involvement and investment in their
welfare.

6. The right to advocate with other COPD patients and
supporters for improved COPD care and COPD prevention

COPD patients know how important good care is to their
lives.
They also know that every effort should be made to prevent
others from suffering from this disease. It is their right and
responsibility to advocate at every level for improved COPD
care
and prevention.

7. The right to safe air and environment

Unsafe air and environment are particularly harmful to COPD
patients. All health care professionals have an obligation to
protect their patients from conditions that are unsafe to their
health. Patients and health care providers have an obligation
to
fight for their rights to safe air and environment.
GLOBAL BILL OF RIGHTS

The COPD Patients’ Global Bill of Rights was developed
by the International Copd Coalition (ICC)
www.internationalcopd.org
TM
INTERNATIONAL
Helping the World Breathe Free

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About This Blog

This is a patient to patient blog to exchange information and resources...from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) to Arthritis to Cellulites to Sarcoidosis to Sleep Apnea to RLS to Psoriasis to Support Groups to Caregivers and all points in between. Written by Sharon O'Hara.